In most known bicycle frames, regardless of their material, a majority of the length of each of the shifter cables runs along the outside of the bicycle frame tubing, although it is also known to pass these cables inside the bicycle frame tubing.
A bicycle frame 1 of the prior art, which may be formed of a metal or of a composite material for example, is shown in FIG. 1 and includes shifter and brake cables which at least partially run along the outside of the bicycle frame tubing. The bicycle frame 1 comprises a main frame 2. The main frame 2 includes a seat tube 3, a top tube 4, a down tube 5, a head tube 6, seat stays 7, chain stays 8 and a bottom bracket 9. The seat tube 3 is connected to a first end of the top tube 4. The head tube 6 is connected to a second end of the top tube 4. The bottom bracket 9 is connected to the bottom end of the seat tube 3. The down tube 5 is connected to the head tube 6 and the bottom bracket 9. The seat stays 7 are connected to the seat tube 3. The chain stays 8 are connected to the seat stays 7 and the bottom bracket 9. In the bicycle frame 1, the shifter cable 10 runs along the down tube 5 to the bottom bracket 9. The brake cables 11 run along the top tube 2.
The shifter and brake cables of the bicycle frame 1 may also at least partially run inside the hollow interior of the tubes forming the bicycle frame, and may for example be fed down through the hollow inside cavity defined within the down and/or top tubes 5 and 4 for example. While this generally improves the overall look of the bicycle, as any unsightly cables are substantially hidden from view because they are fed through the hollow tubes, these tubes must necessarily be hollow and further the assembly step required in feeding the cables through the frame is add time and cost to the overall bicycle assembly process. While bicycles have for years used mechanical gear shifting systems which require cables having moving inner cables within a stationary outer sheath which is fixed at both ends to the frame, recent developments have led to electronic gear-shifting systems becoming more widely available, including for example the Di2™ system made by Shimano™. In such electronic gear-shifting systems, riders are able to shift gears using electronic switches instead of convention gear control levers. Such switches are connected by an electric wire to a battery pack and to a small electric motor which drives the derailleur, used to displace the bicycle chain from one gear cog to the next. However, although such electronic gear-shifting systems have become more commonplace, the configuration and method used to feed the electric wires interconnecting the various components of the electronic gear-shifting system has remained substantially the same.